APPLE NOTEBOOKS

The MacBook and the MacBook Pro are designed to help you, get why these notebooks are ideal campus companions.

Easy to use, reliable and secure

The Mac OS X is the most interactive and also the most stable. Built on a UNIX platform, these notebooks are virtually virus-free. The Hardware, Operating System and even the built-in Software are all created by Apple, making these notebooks very reliable.

A suite to suit your needs

Software that are pre-loaded on these notebooks help you do a lot more. iLife, for instance, lets you create movies, multimedia presentations, digital photo albums and music with great ease. These notebooks also come with tools for everyday tasks like browsing, sending emails,blogging and chatting.

Compatible like never before

These notebooks also run Microsoft Windows Operating System and other associated software, including Microsoft Office 2008. And also fit in seamlessly into other network environments.

MacBook 13.3″

Features

* Available in 3 standard configurations

* Features a 13.3 – inch (diagonal) glossy widescreen display

* Latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors ( 2.1Ghz and 2.4 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo) with 800 MHz front side bus

* Larger hard drives (up to 250 GB), up to 2GB of memory and is encased in a durable polycarbonate shell

MacBook Pro 15 ” & 17″

Features

* Available in 3 standard configurations

* Featuring 15.4-inch, 1440 x 900-pixel and the 17-inch, 1680 x 1050-pixel digital displays

* The latest Intel Core 2 Duo processprs (up to 2.5 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo with 6 MB L2 cache) with 800 MHz front side bus

* Larger hard drives (up to 250 GB), standard 2 GB memory, and is encased in sleek and sturdy aluminum

We have already known about the most expensive laptop in the world and most expensive golden MacBook Pro. This time at CeBIT, you can discover the most expensive MacBook Air. By now MacBook Air has become a favorite laptop for business people for its outstanding design. So, A MacBook Air laptop made of gold and crystal can be very good-looking luxurious device for rich people.

“Golden Age” is the name of this new, er, product, the world’s first Apple MacBook Air to be completely crystallized with 12,000 “dazzling” Swarovski elements, according to pocket-lint. There will only be 20 units of this laptop obtainable.

The price of this golden MacBook Air is £20k has much distance with the price of Tulip E-Go Diamond laptop- the most expensive laptop in the world which is $350,000.

Apple updated its accepted MacBook and MacBook Pro notebook lines with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo “Penryn” processors, better hard drives and 2GB of memory standard in most models. As well, MacBook Pro comprises NVIDIA graphics processors, now with up to 512MB of video memory, and Apple’s Multi-Touch track pad, first introduced in MacBook Air.

The new MacBook Pro features an Intel C2D 2.6 GHz processor with 6MB of shared L2 cache; up to 4GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory and up to a 300GB hard drive, plus NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with up to 512MB of video memory. Every MacBook Pro now comprises a trackpad with Multi-Touch sign support for pinch, rotate and swipe, which allows users to zoom and rotate photos in iPhoto or Aperture 2 or browse web pages in Safari. The laptop also sports a light up keyboard that makes it ideal for softly lit environments such as airplanes, studios or discussion halls and a built-in ambient light sensor, which automatically adjusts the brightness of the keys as well as the brightness of the show for optimal visibility.

The new Macbooks now come in three models and comprise faster processors and larger hard drives across the line; smooth white 2.1 GHz and 2.4 GHz models with 120GB or 160GB 5400 rpm hard drives and a black 2.4 GHz model with a 250GB 5400 rpm hard drive, previously only available as an option. The 2.4 GHz MacBook models ship with 2GB of memory standard, expandable up to 4GB across the line. The LCD panel common to all these 3 laptops is a 13-inch glossy widescreen display,

Apart from these changes, Every MacBook and MacBook Pro includes a built-in imminent video camera for video conferencing on-the-go; Apple’s MagSafe Power Adapter that magnetically connects the power cord plus safely cut offs when under strain; the latest generation of 802.11n wireless networking for up to five times the presentation and twice the range of 802.11g; built-in 10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking; Bluetooth; analog and digital audio inputs and outputs; USB 2.0; FireWire and a built-in SuperDrive.

Apple recently released two variations on the Apple iBook G4, the 800 MHz version with the 12.1″ display and a 1 GHz machine with a 14.1″ display. Since we haven’t exactly reviewed a Macintosh machine till date, we at Techtree.com saw this launch as a great opportunity to change that. In this review we check out the Apple iBook G4 1 GHz.

The iBook G4 comes neatly packed in a white cardboard box along with a charger, a cable for connecting to the phone line and a VGA connector to connect your Laptop to an external monitor.

It also comes with an elaborate software bundle, which includes Mac OS X v10.3, Mail, iChat, Sherlock, Address Book, QuickTime, iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iSync, iCal, DVD Player, Appleworks, Sound Studio, Quicken 2004 and World Book 2003. It also comes with three games, namely Mac OS X Chess, Deimos Rising and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4.

The iBook is slim and sleek with all curved edges and a shiny white finish, which makes it look extremely classy and funky at the same time. The iBook G4 is sized at 12.7″ x 10.2″ x 1.35″, weighs around 5.9 pounds (2.7kg) and has a 14.1″ (diagonal) TFT active matrix colour display and a translucent Apple logo on the top, which lights up in white when the machine is in use.

The left of the iBook contains all the connectivity options keeping the rest of the sides clean in a minimalist way. On the left you can find a FireWire 400 port along with two USB 2.0 ports for connecting to external peripherals and gadgets. It also has a VGA output port where you can attach the included VGA connector cable. There’s also a RJ-11 port for your modem and a RJ-45 port for your LAN or Internet connectivity, and finally a headphone jack for connecting to external speakers or well… headphones.

The right of the iBook contains a slot for the in-built optical device and a port to attach the charger/adapter. You can find the battery at the bottom of the laptop, which can be replaced by a simple twist method, making it quite convenient to change batteries when on the go. On the inside, towards the right side of the screen is the in-built microphone.

Now for the hardware those powers up this beast. The iBook G4 (as the name suggests) is juiced up by the 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor with 256K level 2 cache. It contains 256 MB DDR SDRAM, which can be upgraded to up to 640 MB. For storage it uses a 60 GB Ultra ATA hard drive and a slot loading combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW). For display it uses an ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 with 32 MB dedicated VRAM. The iBook has a built-in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet and 56K modem.

The internal keyboard can be taken off by a simple unlocking technique to reveal the slot where you can connect the airport i.e. Apple’s WiFi connector. The airport antennas are built in the casing itself.

Excellent performance as one would expect from a Macintosh machine, the performance is stellar with very little to complain about. The keyboard is just the right size with comfortable buttons and decent spacing. The only problem is with the arrow keys, which are half the height of a standard key making it slightly difficult to get used to. There’s ample space below the keyboard for hand rest with the touch pad located in the centre.

The touch pad was pretty nice for most usage but I did find it slightly less responsive than I would like it to be. Even with the mouse pointer settings set to maximum speed, the mouse pointer was not responsive enough to my liking. I would admit that my mouse speed preferences are generally faster than average so most users may not face the kind of annoyance that I did, but I still feel that the touch pad should have been quite a bit more responsive than it was.

The display of the iBook G4 was simply outstanding and better than most laptops I’ve come across. It’s bright to the right extent and the picture quality is crisp and clear with great colours.

The overall performance of the iBook G4 was quite good with no noticeable slowdown in any application except for games. While Mac OS X Chess, Deimos Rising performed pretty well, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 suffered quite a bit with low frame rates and terrible draw distance. But rest assured I didn’t face such a problem with any application. Besides, if you want to play games, the Macintosh isn’t the most appropriate format to begin with.

The DVD tested on it performed perfectly, and with VGA out, it’s possible to connect it to a bigger monitor or even a Plasma TV.

The battery life was quite commendable on the iBook G4. On full charge the battery lasts for almost 6 hours of regular usage, which means you can watch 2 DVD movies on it and still have a little power left in the battery before you set it back to recharge.

The Apple iBook G4 is a great machine and ideal for students and home users. It has the whole ‘cute’ thing going for it, which may be its biggest selling point besides the sturdiness factor, which is universal for all Macintosh machines.

Windows enthusiasts may still cringe at the thought of using a Mac, but if the idea of using an idiot proof solid OS on a machine that will get you noticed with its looks as well as functionality, then this is a great buy. However if you’re looking at value for money then this Rs. 1,02,200 (excluding taxes) machine may not be the best option for you.